You ’ve got the power

Jon Yates ([email protected]; 0303 444 3720)

Department for Communities and Local Government May 2014 1

What do we want to achieve?

•

Communities genuinely more in control of decisions, assets and services

•

Build different relationships between people and services – with interaction, engagement and ownership accepted as the norm

•

People to have an understanding of what they can do, what their role is and how they can make a difference

We’re helping communities to take control…

What’s the problem?

What’s the solution?

Want a much stronger say over what goes where in your community? Want your neighbourhood to grow while staying special?

Local assets such as pub, shop or community centre closing?

Want to raise money for local community projects?

Want to improve things in your community? Think you could run a local public service better?

Does your community want to do things its own way?

Think you could improve the way your housing is managed?

Could you make better use of vacant or underused land or buildings in your community?

Neighbourhood Planning Community Right to Build Community Infrastructure Levy Community Right to Bid / Community Asset Transfer Community Shares Barrier Busting Sustainable Communities Act Our Place!

Community Right to Challenge Establish a Parish Council Right to Manage Right to Reclaim Land / Compulsory Purchase Order

Neighbourhood Planning

The Upper Eden Community Plan brings together 16 parishes around the town of Kirkby Stephen, Yorkshire, and sets out what local people value about their community, and where they’d like to see change .

Right to Bid

Residents of Nunhead, south London, came together to stop the clock on the sale of their local pub, The Ivy House, and raised money to buy it using community shares.

Queen’s Park: London’s first new parish council in 50 years.

Advice4Renters, Brent

Our Place! Haverhill

It’s happening all around…

Where we are now 245 Challenge organisations supported 840 designated neighbourhood planning areas; eight ‘yes’ votes 123 Our Place areas 2 Community Right to Build Orders approved 93 Community Share offers £25m combined value 912 Community assets listed under Community Right to Bid 16 campaigns for new parish councils supported February 2014 Over 1,700 uses of the rights… and counting.

Our Ambition 1000s of areas designated 100s of referendu ms 10,000 assets listed 1000 share offers £100m+ 1000s of Our Place! areas Thousands of people and places using their Community Rights And knowing that they don’t have to accept the status quo

That

’

s all very well but this seems complicated… That’s why we’re:

• Funding expert support organisations to work with community groups, parish councils and local authorities. An enquiry service, advice, case studies (and more) can be found at www.mycommunityrights.org.uk

• Providing £51m of grant support for communities using the new powers and opportunities • Working closely with other government departments to make it easier for communities to understand the wider help available 12

There isn

’

t one - the new powers and opportunities, if used well, can radically improve where you live.

What’s the catch?

Encouraging use of the new powers and opportunities.

And the end game?

www.mycommunityrights.org.uk

www.communityshares.org.uk

www.gov.uk

Whatever you want it to be, it’s yours, You’ve got the power!

13